My first ODI

Yes, ladies and gentlemen. It WAS my first ever ODI that I sat through the entire time and din't just ask the score and continue with whatever I was doing. I was actually involved in the game this time.

And what an ODI! Sachin has proved that he is blessed from above. Getting out at the 5th attempt is really something. The two times when the review was taken (while the score was still around 37), it made our hearts stop, fingers crossed and everyone was muttering a prayer under their breathe. Because they knew two wickets gone when India had started so well with winning the toss and batting first; it would have been extremely disheartening for the next batters if even the God was out without making atleast half a century. A little game was even played when India was at 141 runs and finally Sachin retired when they reached 187. Point out if Im wrong, but India made the first two centuries in the first 40 overs. Pakkis gave a good fight and their fielding was marvelous. Not to mention Riaz was brilliant. We all were obviously chanting the name of Umar to bowl near the end of power play.

Dhoni should have really taken notice of the pace and asked for a power play before getting out instead of trying for catching the pace.

My sweetest moment was when Sachin was not out just because the tip of his shoe went flying in the air for a split second and then was back down on the ground. This really reminded me of how proper practice with technique counts in crucial times like those.*nerdy me kicking in* Kalman filters to the rescue. For those who don't know what I am talking about, they are the ones that predict the trajectory of a moving body in a video. But this was the first time I saw its real time application so I was a little jumpy then. :)

As it was my first match wherein I left everything behind and went to the audi to cheer for India, the nerdy me took notice of a lot of other things as well. The salt pepper noise was very evident on the big screen especially when an ad got over to show the next ball just in time.

The run rate on a batting field was pretty disappointing in the second mandatory power play as well. But it was Harbajan who started the chawke pe chawka and Suresh Raina gladly took the cue too. But what the sad part was that Harbajan made that particular gesture by the bowler so much that his wicket was the next to fall. The mocking gesticulation by the bowler of stopping in the middle and going for another chance shouldn't have been taken that seriously by him. But evidently his feelings came in the middle of his performance. (This was told to me by someone. I had initially thought that stupid Harbajan brought it on himself by asking the bowler to stop again. Ah, there is so more than what these eyes get to see) Such are other times when I feel it awesome to be completely indifferent and unattached(like how I was towards cricket earlier)..

Anyway, I guess I'll be off to audi again to watch India bowl.

*keeping her fingers crossed*

PS-Is that rumour about India winning when Sachin can't make a century after trying hard but cant make it, true? We shall see :D